Perception and Practice of Traditional Medicine among Pharmacy Professionals in Jimma University Medical Center, Southwestern Ethiopia

Perception and Practice of Traditional Medicine among Pharmacy Professionals in Jimma University Medical Center, Southwestern Ethiopia | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Perception and Practice of Traditional Medicine among Pharmacy Professionals in Jimma University Medical Center, Southwestern Ethiopia Million Sentayehu, Aschalew Mulatu, Korsa Tesfaye This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8620588/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Introduction: Traditional medicine (TM) is widely used in developing countries due to its accessibility, cultural relevance, perceived efficacy, and safety. Pharmacists, as frontline healthcare professionals, are expected to provide any drug-related information to the patient, including herbal medicine. However, inadequate training on TM on top of the lack of regulation of TM practices poses challenges to their effective involvement. This study aimed to assess the perception and practice of pharmacists working in Jimma University Medical Center (JUMC). Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among pharmacists working at JUMC. Data was collected using a self-administered Google Form questionnaire. The collected data was exported into Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) 23.0. Descriptive analysis and chi square tests were performed to analyze the data. Results were considered significant when p ≤ 0.05. Result Out of the 73 pharmacists working in JUMC, 63 responded to the questionnaire. Most of the respondents were male, under 30 years of age and held B. Pharm degree. Most participants (87.5%) reported not having received any formal training related to TM. However, nearly three quarters of the respondents had used TM and 96.8% believed TM has beneficial effects. Overall, 90.8% of respondents’ families used TM, and family use was significantly associated with religion (Fisher-Freeman-Halton exact test, p = 0.028. On the other hand, most of the respondents supported the integration of TM and modern medicine, while lack of evidence-based research was identified as the main barrier to integration. Conclusion Pharmacists working at JUMC demonstrated a high prevalence of TM use and a generally positive perception toward its integration into modern healthcare. However, inadequate professional training and the lack of evidence-based research remain major barriers. Strengthening education, capacity building, and research on TM is essential to enable pharmacists to play an effective role in its safe and rational integration into modern medical practice. Pharmacists Perception Traditional medicine Introduction The World Health Organization (WHO) TM Strategy 2014–2023 defines TM as the sum total of the knowledge, skill and practices based on the theories, beliefs and experiences indigenous to different cultures, whether explicable or not, used in the maintenance of health as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness. This system of medicine is an important source of primary health care, especially in developing countries. It is estimated that around 80% of individuals in developing nations rely on herbal medicine for their primary healthcare needs [ 1 , 2 ]. However recent systematic review showed that the prevalence of TM was estimated to be 65% in Ethiopia [ 3 , 4 ]. The availability, affordability, and efficacy of TM are among its advantages, as are patient reports of side effects and discontent with conventional treatment and prior positive experiences with medicinal plant use [ 5 , 6 ]. Furthermore, the idea that medicinal herbs are safe because they come from natural sources led to a further surge in their use [ 7 ]. According to earlier research, over two-thirds of the medical professionals who participated in the survey believed that TM had some benefits. Compared to nurses, professionals in the fields of medicine and pharmacy were more likely to believe that TM had beneficial aspects [ 4 ]. Several research findings showed that pharmacists believed in the benefits and weaknesses of TM. Majority of the respondents in the studies also supported the integration of TM into modern medicine [ 8 , 9 ]. Pharmacists are in a better position to counsel patients on the use of herbal medications because they are the experts on drugs and items related to drugs, including herbal products [ 10 ]. They are expected to deliver various information such as drug interactions between herbal products and conventional ones. However, the selling of herbal remedies is unregulated in Ethiopia, and the country's undergraduate pharmacy school appears to lack a sufficient curriculum on TM. The only courses it offers are two-credit hour "Complementary and Alternative Medicine," four-credit hour "Pharmacognosy," and three-credit hour "Chemistry of Natural Products". Such courses in the curriculum alone were deemed insufficient to prepare pharmacists as specialists in herbal medicines, according to earlier research [ 9 ]. The purpose of this study was to assess pharmacists' perception and practices regarding TM. Methodology Study setting The study was conducted at JUMC, which is in Jimma town, Oromia region. JUMC is situated 352 km away from Addis Ababa and serves a catchment population of approximately 20 million people. According to the data obtained from the human resource of JUMC, there were 73 pharmacists in the center. Study design A cross-sectional study was conducted among pharmacists working in JUMC from Feb to May 2025. Study population All 73 pharmacists working in JUMC were the source population. The inclusion criteria included pharmacists who were available during the data collection period and who agreed to participate in the study. Data collection Data was collected from the pharmacists using Google forms. An online link of the questionnaire was sent via email and telegram platforms used by the pharmacists. Data analysis After completion of data collection, responses from Google forms were exported into Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 23.0. Frequencies and percentages were used to summarize different variables. To identify the predictors of perceptions and practices of TM, chi square tests were performed. Results were considered significant when p ≤ 0.05. Ethical clearance The study was carried out after getting approval from the school of pharmacy, Jimma University. Prior to data collection, ethical clearance was obtained from Jimma University, College of Health Sciences Ethical Review Committee. During data collection, each respondent was informed about the purpose of the study and informed consent was obtained from each participant. The anonymity of the respondents was kept by avoiding collecting their email addresses. Results Socio demographic characteristics Out of the 73 pharmacists who were working in JUMC, 63 of them gave responses (86.3% response rate), majority of them were male and Orthodox. Almost half of the respondents were between 27–30 years of age, single and had work experience of less than five years. Majority of the participants had bachelor's degree in pharmacy and earned more than 8000ETB monthly (Table 1 ). Table 1 Sociodemographic characteristics of pharmacists working at JUMC (n = 63). Variables Frequency % Sex Male 43 68.3 Female 20 31.7 Age <=26 15 23.8 27–30 30 47.6 30+ 18 28.6 Marital status Single 32 50.8 Married 31 49.2 Divorced 0 0 Widowed 0 0 Religion Orthodox 27 42.9 Muslim 11 17.5 Protestant 24 38.1 No religion 1 Educational status Bachelor’s degree in pharmacy 53 84.1 Master’s degree in pharmacy or related field 10 15.9 Work experience 7 years 18 18 Monthly income (in ETB) * 8000 38 60.3 * The study was conducted before the government increased salary for its employees including Hospital pharmacists. Participants understanding about TM 87.5% of the participants reported that they had not received any formal training related to TM. However, 8 participants considered the courses pharmacognosy, and complementary and alternative medicine as formal training (Table 2 ). Table 2 Formal education or training related to traditional medicine among pharmacists at JUMC. Frequency % Yes 8 13 No 55 87.5 Perceptions and practices of TM Apart from two respondents, all participants believed that TM has beneficial elements. At the same time, a nearly equal proportion of respondents perceived that the TM system has weaknesses. Most respondents also supported the licensing, registration, and regulation of TM. Furthermore, cooperation and integration of TM with modern healthcare were strongly supported by 98.4% of the study participants (Table 3 ). On the other hand, nearly three quarters of the respondents reported that they had recommended or used some form of TM. When considering their family members, the proportion of TM use increased to 90.3%, and approximately two thirds reported that their family members had visited TM healers’ facilities. A Chi-Square test was conducted to examine the association between religion and family use of TM. Using the Fisher-Freeman-Halton exact test, a statistically significant association was observed (p = 0.028), with a moderate strength of association (Cramér’s V = 0.48). In the final part of this section, half of the respondents suggested that TM is used in the treatment of various diseases (Table 3 ). Table 3 Perceptions and practices of pharmacists regarding traditional medicine. Variable Frequency Yes (%) No (%) Perception Do you believe that traditional medical systems contain useful elements? 61 (96.8) 2 (3.2) Do you believe that traditional medical systems have weaknesses? 56 (88.9) 7 (11.1) Do you support registration, licensing and regulation of TM? 59 (93.7) 4 (6.3) Do you support cooperation among traditional healers and modern health care workers and researchers? 61 (98.4) 1 (1.6) Do you support integration of modern medicine and TM? 62 (98.4) 1 (1.6) Practice Have you ever recommended or used any form of TM in your practice 49 (77.8) 14 (22.2) Have you and your family ever used TM? 56 (90.3) 6 (9.7) Have you and your family ever visited TM healer's facilities? 42 (67.7) 20 (32.3) Are there any health problems treated by TM you suggest? 34 (54.8) 29 (46.8) Approximately half of the respondents supported the integration of TM with modern medicine, with only one respondent expressing disagreement. In addition, most participants perceived TM as being highly important to them (Table 4 ). Table 4 Pharmacists’ perceptions toward the integration of traditional medicine into modern healthcare practice. Variable Frequency % Do you believe that TM can be integrated into conventional health practices? Strongly agree 22 35.5 agree 33 53.2 neutral 6 9.7 disagree 1 1.6 Strongly disagree 0 0 How important do you think it is for healthcare professionals to be about TM Very important 28 44.4 important 29 46 neutral 6 9.5 unimportant 0 0 Very unimportant 0 0 Barriers to integrating TM into conventional healthcare? Table 5 showed that a large majority of the respondents expressed their concern about the lack of evidence-based research supporting TM. In addition to this, insufficient training on TM can alter incorporating these practices into conventional healthcare (Table 5 ). Table 5 Perceived barriers to the integration of traditional medicine into conventional healthcare practice among hospital pharmacists. Variables Frequency % Lack of evidence-based research 52 82.5 Insufficient training/education on TM 32 50.8 Regulatory issues 19 30.2 Personal beliefs about efficacy 13 20.6 Discussions Pharmacists are supposed to be aware of their patients' use of herbal remedies, and recording such information is very important. Nevertheless, pharmacists are not observed inquiring about or documenting patients' use of herbal medicines. These practices should be enhanced considering the potential for herbal medicine to interact with prescription medications and the necessity of an intervention in this situation [ 11 ]. The present study revealed that majority (77.8%) of the study participants used TM. This finding was also reported by a study conducted in Abu Dhabi, Jordan, Eritrea and Gondar [ 8 , 9 , 12 , 13 ]. The high prevalence may be attributed to the recent acceptance of TM by healthcare professionals, as well as the fact that these studies were conducted in developing countries, which further contributes to its widespread use. Half of the respondents also suggested the use of TM for certain disease conditions, such as hemorrhoids, spiritually related problems (e.g., the evil eye), and mental illnesses. The current study's findings indicate that most participants are male, under 30 years old, and held a B. Pharm degree, which is consistent with a study carried out in Eritrea and Gondar [ 8 , 9 ]; however, the participants in the Gondar city study are community pharmacists. However, the respondents in the Eritrean study are of > 30 years of age [ 8 ]. Another finding was that 87.5% of the participants reported that they had not received any formal training related to TM. This finding is consistent with a study conducted in Australia, Eritrea and Gondar, where 74%, 88% and 89% of the respondents were found to have insufficient knowledge of TM respectively [ 8 , 9 , 14 ]. These studies indicate that undergraduate courses are the primary source of education; however, pharmacists consider this training to be inadequate. According to 96.8% of respondents, TM has beneficial aspects. This is consistent with research done in Palestine (70.9%), Eritrea (96%), and Gondar (93.7%) [ 8 , 9 , 15 ]. Another study conducted in Gondar reported that 87.5 of the pharmacists (who were working in hospitals and health centers believed that TM has useful elements [ 4 ]. Improved patient outcomes, patient satisfaction, cultural relevance and reduced side effects are the benefits associated with the use of TM. The results of this study showed that 90.3% of the respondent’s family have used TM. This result was also indicated to have significant association with religion (p < 0.05). This finding suggests that religious affiliation and family traditions play an important role in traditional medicine use, even among healthcare professionals. Despite the formal training in modern medicine, pharmacists continue to rely on the long-established personal and family health seeking behaviors. In accordance with the present results, previous studies have demonstrated that spiritually and culturally embedded healing practices are widely accepted [ 16 ] Concerning views on whether TM has downsides to it, 88.9% of the participants believed that TM has a weakness. This is in line with the study conducted on health professionals in 2019 [ 4 ]. The integration of TM is supported by several factors, including the World Health Organization’s recognition of TM, the demonstrated effectiveness of traditional healing in the management of mental illnesses, and the willingness of some traditional healers to cooperate with modern healthcare systems. In addition, holistic approaches to treatment are increasingly gaining acceptance for certain disease conditions, particularly mental illnesses[ 17 ]. In the present study, 98.4% of respondents supported the integration of TM into modern healthcare. However, the respondents identified lack of evidence-based research (82.5%) and insufficient training or education on TM (50.8%) as the two major barriers to its integration into modern practice, which is consistent with a study conducted by Alemayehu [ 17 ]. The present study has some limitations. The findings may not be generalizable due to the single-center, cross-sectional study design. In addition, the relatively small sample size may have affected the statistical power of the study. Furthermore, the questionnaire did not assess detailed information on pharmacists’ perceptions and practices regarding traditional medicine. Conclusion The present study demonstrates a high prevalence of TM use among hospital pharmacists, along with generally positive perceptions toward its benefits as well as integration into modern healthcare practice. Despite widespread use and strong support for integration, the findings reveal significant gaps in formal training and education on TM, with most pharmacists relying solely on undergraduate coursework, which they consider insufficient. Although respondents acknowledged both the benefits and limitations of TM, the lack of evidence-based research and inadequate professional training were identified as the major barriers to effective integration. On the other hand, religious and cultural contexts should be considered in educational programs and policies. Overall, these results highlight the need for strengthened education, capacity building, and research on TM, as well as the development of clear policies and clinical guidelines, to enable hospital pharmacists to play a more effective role in the safe and rational integration of TM into modern healthcare systems. Abbreviations JUMC- Jimma University Medical Center SPSS- Statistical Package for Social Sciences TM- Traditional medicine Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate NA Consent for publication NA Availability of data and materials The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to confidentiality but are available from the correspond ing author on reasonable request. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests Funding The study received no funding. Authors' contributions MS conceived the idea. All the authors designed the study. KT collected the data under the supervision of MS. Data was analyzed by KT and MS. AM, KT and MS drafted and approved the final version of the manuscript. Acknowledgements We would like to acknowledge Jimma University School of Pharmacy. Our sincere thanks also goes to pharmacists working In JUMC for their responses. References Shobhit Kumar, et al. India’s trailblazing path: A decade of progress in Traditional Medicine and advancing the WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy (2014–2023). Int J Ayurveda Res. 2025;6:2. Organization WH. WHO traditional medicine strategy 2014–2023. 2013. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2015. Tuassha N, Deyno FS. Prevalence of herbal and traditional medicine in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta–analysis of 20–year studies. Syst Reviews. 2022;12:232. Gurmu AE. B.E.B., Zemene Demelash Kifle, Fitsum Sebsibe Teni, Perceptions, practices, and predictors of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicines among health professionals in Gondar town, northwestern Ethiopia. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4878729 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4878729 Akaj EA. Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Gains and Drawbacks with Special Reference to Oral Healthcare. Pharmacological Studies in Natural Oral Care; 2023. K., M.E., The Role of Medicinal Plants in Enhancing Patient Adherence to Treatment. Res Output J Public Health Med, 2025; 5:1. MEMİŞOĞLU M. The Safety of Herbal Medicines (Phytovigilance) from Community Pharmacists’ Perspective: A Cross-Sectional Study. Turkish J Pharm Sci. 2022;19:3. Alemseghed Goitom FY, Tsegay M, Kifleyesus A, Siele SM, Eyasu H, Tesfamariam, Abdu N. Herbal Medicine (HM) among pharmacy professionals working in drug retail outlets in Asmara, Eritrea: knowledge, attitude and prevalence of use. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2022;22:218. Dessalegn Asmelashe Gelayee GBM, Atnafe SA, Birarra MK, Asrie AB. Herbal Medicines: Personal Use, Knowledge, Attitude, Dispensing Practice, and the Barriers among Community Pharmacists in Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine; 2017. doi.org/10.1155/2017/6480142(1) . Artemisa R, Dores MP, Castro M, Sá C, Carvalho IP. Andreia Martins, Eva Maia, Isabel Praça andAntónio Marques, Knowledge and Beliefs about Herb/Supplement Consumption and Herb/Supplement–Drug Interactions among the General Population, including Healthcare Professionals and Pharmacists: A Systematic Review and Guidelines for a Smart Decision System . Nutrients. 2023;15:10. Ashlyn Carr CS. Pharmacists’ Knowledge, Perceptions, and Practices Regarding Herbal Medicine. Innovations Pharm. 2019;10:3. Sahar A, FAHMY SA, Mohammed ABUELKHAIR. Pharmacists’ attitude, perceptions and knowledge towards the use of herbal products in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Pharm Pract. 2010;8:8. Kemper KJ. Knowledge and Attitudes of Lay Public, Pharmacists, and Physicians Toward the Use of Herbal Products in North Jordan. J Altern Complement Medicine: Paradigm Pract Policy Adv Integr Health. 2008;14:10. Lesley A, Braun MMC. Australian Hospital Pharmacists’ Attitudes, Perceptions, Knowledge and Practices of CAMs. J Pharm Pract Res. 2007;37:3. Maher R, Khdour MK, Hussein O, Hallak AS, Jarab M, Dweib, Qusai N, Al-Shahed. Pharmacists’ Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Towards Herbal Remedies In West Bank, Palestine. Int Archives Med. 2016;3:103. Akunna GG, Saalu LCA. Rooted in Tradition, Thriving in the Present: The Future and Sustainability of Herbal Medicine in Nigeria’s Healthcare Landscape. J innovations Med Res. 2023;2:11. Alemayehu M, Wollie KU, Rice K, Islam MS. Challenges and opportunities for integrating traditional healing approaches with biomedical care for mental illness: A scoping review from healers’ perspectives. PLoS ONE. 2025;20:6. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8620588","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":578052773,"identity":"fd7f67d3-71b6-4847-ab70-1448d5142244","order_by":0,"name":"Million Sentayehu","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA30lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACZubGA1Bm4gMgwcNHWAtjA1gLDwPDYwMQzUbYGrgWxmcSIAZBLbrtQC0//tjl2bMfTqv8mmMnw8bA/PDRDTxazA4zNhzsbUsu5uFJS7stuy0Z6DA2Y+McAloO8DYwJ/Yw5KTdltzGDNTCwyZNSMvBP3/qE3v4338rltxWT5yWwzxshxN7JBLSGD9uO0ykFtm244k9Nx4kSzNuO87DxkzIL+cPH3z45k91Ynt/QuLHn9uq7fnZmx8+xqcFBTDzgElilYMA4w9SVI+CUTAKRsGIAQC4HUuETu3jEAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Jimma University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Million","middleName":"","lastName":"Sentayehu","suffix":""},{"id":578052774,"identity":"2f5f85d4-f97b-4d34-b933-e852356c748c","order_by":1,"name":"Aschalew Mulatu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Gondar","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Aschalew","middleName":"","lastName":"Mulatu","suffix":""},{"id":578052775,"identity":"238463ef-c20b-4867-9e70-77f58b095535","order_by":2,"name":"Korsa Tesfaye","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Jimma University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Korsa","middleName":"","lastName":"Tesfaye","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-01-16 15:38:34","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8620588/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8620588/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":104399272,"identity":"c48e56df-e31e-4a78-80b3-35f6982e0799","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-11 12:05:20","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":785882,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8620588/v1/3e79643d-ee84-44b1-8b11-0a455701110e.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Perception and Practice of Traditional Medicine among Pharmacy Professionals in Jimma University Medical Center, Southwestern Ethiopia","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe World Health Organization (WHO) TM Strategy 2014\u0026ndash;2023 defines TM as the sum total of the knowledge, skill and practices based on the theories, beliefs and experiences indigenous to different cultures, whether explicable or not, used in the maintenance of health as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness. This system of medicine is an important source of primary health care, especially in developing countries. It is estimated that around 80% of individuals in developing nations rely on herbal medicine for their primary healthcare needs [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e]. However recent systematic review showed that the prevalence of TM was estimated to be 65% in Ethiopia [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e]. The availability, affordability, and efficacy of TM are among its advantages, as are patient reports of side effects and discontent with conventional treatment and prior positive experiences with medicinal plant use [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e]. Furthermore, the idea that medicinal herbs are safe because they come from natural sources led to a further surge in their use [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to earlier research, over two-thirds of the medical professionals who participated in the survey believed that TM had some benefits. Compared to nurses, professionals in the fields of medicine and pharmacy were more likely to believe that TM had beneficial aspects [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e]. Several research findings showed that pharmacists believed in the benefits and weaknesses of TM. Majority of the respondents in the studies also supported the integration of TM into modern medicine [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePharmacists are in a better position to counsel patients on the use of herbal medications because they are the experts on drugs and items related to drugs, including herbal products [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]. They are expected to deliver various information such as drug interactions between herbal products and conventional ones.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHowever, the selling of herbal remedies is unregulated in Ethiopia, and the country's undergraduate pharmacy school appears to lack a sufficient curriculum on TM. The only courses it offers are two-credit hour \"Complementary and Alternative Medicine,\" four-credit hour \"Pharmacognosy,\" and three-credit hour \"Chemistry of Natural Products\". Such courses in the curriculum alone were deemed insufficient to prepare pharmacists as specialists in herbal medicines, according to earlier research [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. The purpose of this study was to assess pharmacists' perception and practices regarding TM.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Methodology","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eStudy setting\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe study was conducted at JUMC, which is in Jimma town, Oromia region. JUMC is situated 352 km away from Addis Ababa and serves a catchment population of approximately 20\u0026nbsp;million people. According to the data obtained from the human resource of JUMC, there were 73 pharmacists in the center.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eStudy design\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA cross-sectional study was conducted among pharmacists working in JUMC from Feb to May 2025.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eStudy population\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll 73 pharmacists working in JUMC were the source population. The inclusion criteria included pharmacists who were available during the data collection period and who agreed to participate in the study.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eData collection\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eData was collected from the pharmacists using Google forms. An online link of the questionnaire was sent via email and telegram platforms used by the pharmacists.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eData analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eAfter completion of data collection, responses from Google forms were exported into Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 23.0. Frequencies and percentages were used to summarize different variables. To identify the predictors of perceptions and practices of TM, chi square tests were performed. Results were considered significant when p\u0026thinsp;\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;0.05.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eEthical clearance\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe study was carried out after getting approval from the school of pharmacy, Jimma University. Prior to data collection, ethical clearance was obtained from Jimma University, College of Health Sciences Ethical Review Committee. During data collection, each respondent was informed about the purpose of the study and informed consent was obtained from each participant. The anonymity of the respondents was kept by avoiding collecting their email addresses.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eSocio demographic characteristics\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eOut of the 73 pharmacists who were working in JUMC, 63 of them gave responses (86.3% response rate), majority of them were male and Orthodox. Almost half of the respondents were between 27\u0026ndash;30 years of age, single and had work experience of less than five years. Majority of the participants had bachelor's degree in pharmacy and earned more than 8000ETB monthly (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSociodemographic characteristics of pharmacists working at JUMC (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;63).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVariables\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrequency\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSex\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e68.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAge\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;=26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27\u0026ndash;30\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e47.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30+\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMarital status\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSingle\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e50.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e49.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDivorced\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWidowed\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eReligion\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOrthodox\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e42.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMuslim\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProtestant\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo religion\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEducational status\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree in\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003epharmacy\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e53\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e84.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMaster\u0026rsquo;s degree in\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003epharmacy or related\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003efield\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWork experience\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;5 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e51.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u0026ndash;7 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;7 years\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMonthly income (in ETB)\u0026nbsp;*\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;=4500\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4500\u0026ndash;6000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6000\u0026ndash;8000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;8000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e60.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e* \u003cem\u003eThe study was conducted before the government increased salary for its employees including Hospital pharmacists.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eParticipants understanding about TM\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e87.5% of the participants reported that they had not received any formal training related to TM. However, 8 participants considered the courses pharmacognosy, and complementary and alternative medicine as formal training (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFormal education or training related to traditional medicine among pharmacists at JUMC.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrequency\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e55\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e87.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003ePerceptions and practices of TM\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eApart from two respondents, all participants believed that TM has beneficial elements. At the same time, a nearly equal proportion of respondents perceived that the TM system has weaknesses. Most respondents also supported the licensing, registration, and regulation of TM. Furthermore, cooperation and integration of TM with modern healthcare were strongly supported by 98.4% of the study participants (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOn the other hand, nearly three quarters of the respondents reported that they had recommended or used some form of TM. When considering their family members, the proportion of TM use increased to 90.3%, and approximately two thirds reported that their family members had visited TM healers\u0026rsquo; facilities. A Chi-Square test was conducted to examine the association between religion and family use of TM. Using the Fisher-Freeman-Halton exact test, a statistically significant association was observed (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.028), with a moderate strength of association (Cram\u0026eacute;r\u0026rsquo;s V\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.48). In the final part of this section, half of the respondents suggested that TM is used in the treatment of various diseases (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePerceptions and practices of pharmacists regarding traditional medicine.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVariable\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrequency\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePerception\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDo you believe that\u0026nbsp;traditional\u0026nbsp;medical systems contain\u0026nbsp;useful elements?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e61 (96.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (3.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDo you believe that\u0026nbsp;traditional\u0026nbsp;medical systems have weaknesses?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e56 (88.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7 (11.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDo you support registration,\u0026nbsp;licensing\u0026nbsp;and regulation of TM?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e59 (93.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 (6.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDo you support cooperation among\u0026nbsp;traditional healers and modern\u0026nbsp;health care workers and researchers?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e61 (98.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (1.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDo you support\u0026nbsp;integration\u0026nbsp;of modern medicine and TM?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e62 (98.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (1.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePractice\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHave you ever recommended or used any form\u0026nbsp;of TM in your practice\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e49 (77.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14 (22.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHave you and your family ever used TM?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e56\u0026nbsp;(90.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u0026nbsp;(9.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHave you and your family ever visited TM healer's\u0026nbsp;facilities?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e42 (67.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20\u0026nbsp;(32.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAre there any health problems treated\u0026nbsp;by TM\u0026nbsp;you suggest?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34 (54.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29 (46.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eApproximately half of the respondents supported the integration of TM with modern medicine, with only one respondent expressing disagreement. In addition, most participants perceived TM as being highly important to them (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePharmacists\u0026rsquo; perceptions toward the integration of traditional medicine into modern healthcare practice.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVariable\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrequency\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDo you believe\u0026nbsp;that TM can be integrated into conventional health practices?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStrongly agree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eagree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e33\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e53.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eneutral\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003edisagree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStrongly disagree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow important do you think it is for healthcare professionals to be\u0026nbsp;about TM\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVery important\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e44.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eimportant\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e46\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eneutral\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eunimportant\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVery unimportant\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eBarriers to integrating TM into conventional healthcare?\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e showed that a large majority of the respondents expressed their concern about the lack of evidence-based research supporting TM. In addition to this, insufficient training on TM can alter incorporating these practices into conventional healthcare (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab5\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 5\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePerceived barriers to the integration of traditional medicine into conventional healthcare practice among hospital pharmacists.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVariables\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrequency\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLack of\u0026nbsp;evidence-based\u0026nbsp;research\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e52\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e82.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInsufficient training/education\u0026nbsp;on TM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e50.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRegulatory issues\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePersonal beliefs about efficacy\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Discussions","content":"\u003cp\u003ePharmacists are supposed to be aware of their patients' use of herbal remedies, and recording such information is very important. Nevertheless, pharmacists are not observed inquiring about or documenting patients' use of herbal medicines. These practices should be enhanced considering the potential for herbal medicine to interact with prescription medications and the necessity of an intervention in this situation [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe present study revealed that majority (77.8%) of the study participants used TM. This finding was also reported by a study conducted in Abu Dhabi, Jordan, Eritrea and Gondar [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e]. The high prevalence may be attributed to the recent acceptance of TM by healthcare professionals, as well as the fact that these studies were conducted in developing countries, which further contributes to its widespread use.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHalf of the respondents also suggested the use of TM for certain disease conditions, such as hemorrhoids, spiritually related problems (e.g., the evil eye), and mental illnesses.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe current study's findings indicate that most participants are male, under 30 years old, and held a B. Pharm degree, which is consistent with a study carried out in Eritrea and Gondar [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]; however, the participants in the Gondar city study are community pharmacists. However, the respondents in the Eritrean study are of \u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;30 years of age [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnother finding was that 87.5% of the participants reported that they had not received any formal training related to TM. This finding is consistent with a study conducted in Australia, Eritrea and Gondar, where 74%, 88% and 89% of the respondents were found to have insufficient knowledge of TM respectively [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e]. These studies indicate that undergraduate courses are the primary source of education; however, pharmacists consider this training to be inadequate.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to 96.8% of respondents, TM has beneficial aspects. This is consistent with research done in Palestine (70.9%), Eritrea (96%), and Gondar (93.7%) [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e]. Another study conducted in Gondar reported that 87.5 of the pharmacists (who were working in hospitals and health centers believed that TM has useful elements [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e]. Improved patient outcomes, patient satisfaction, cultural relevance and reduced side effects are the benefits associated with the use of TM.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe results of this study showed that 90.3% of the respondent\u0026rsquo;s family have used TM. This result was also indicated to have significant association with religion (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). This finding suggests that religious affiliation and family traditions play an important role in traditional medicine use, even among healthcare professionals. Despite the formal training in modern medicine, pharmacists continue to rely on the long-established personal and family health seeking behaviors. In accordance with the present results, previous studies have demonstrated that spiritually and culturally embedded healing practices are widely accepted [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConcerning views on whether TM has downsides to it, 88.9% of the participants believed that TM has a weakness. This is in line with the study conducted on health professionals in 2019 [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe integration of TM is supported by several factors, including the World Health Organization\u0026rsquo;s recognition of TM, the demonstrated effectiveness of traditional healing in the management of mental illnesses, and the willingness of some traditional healers to cooperate with modern healthcare systems. In addition, holistic approaches to treatment are increasingly gaining acceptance for certain disease conditions, particularly mental illnesses[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e]. In the present study, 98.4% of respondents supported the integration of TM into modern healthcare. However, the respondents identified lack of evidence-based research (82.5%) and insufficient training or education on TM (50.8%) as the two major barriers to its integration into modern practice, which is consistent with a study conducted by Alemayehu [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe present study has some limitations. The findings may not be generalizable due to the single-center, cross-sectional study design. In addition, the relatively small sample size may have affected the statistical power of the study. Furthermore, the questionnaire did not assess detailed information on pharmacists\u0026rsquo; perceptions and practices regarding traditional medicine.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe present study demonstrates a high prevalence of TM use among hospital pharmacists, along with generally positive perceptions toward its benefits as well as integration into modern healthcare practice. Despite widespread use and strong support for integration, the findings reveal significant gaps in formal training and education on TM, with most pharmacists relying solely on undergraduate coursework, which they consider insufficient. Although respondents acknowledged both the benefits and limitations of TM, the lack of evidence-based research and inadequate professional training were identified as the major barriers to effective integration. On the other hand, religious and cultural contexts should be considered in educational programs and policies. Overall, these results highlight the need for strengthened education, capacity building, and research on TM, as well as the development of clear policies and clinical guidelines, to enable hospital pharmacists to play a more effective role in the safe and rational integration of TM into modern healthcare systems.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Abbreviations","content":"\u003cp\u003eJUMC- Jimma University Medical Center\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSPSS- Statistical Package for Social Sciences\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTM- Traditional medicine\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNA\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNA\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability of data and materials\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to confidentiality but are available from the correspond ing author on reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that they have no competing interests\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe study received no funding.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors\u0026apos; contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMS conceived the idea. All the authors designed the study. KT collected the data under the supervision of MS. Data was analyzed by KT and MS. AM, KT and MS drafted and approved the final version of the manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe would like to acknowledge Jimma University School of Pharmacy. Our sincere thanks also goes to pharmacists working In JUMC for their responses.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShobhit Kumar, et al. India\u0026rsquo;s trailblazing path: A decade of progress in Traditional Medicine and advancing the WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy (2014\u0026ndash;2023). Int J Ayurveda Res. 2025;6:2.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOrganization WH. WHO traditional medicine strategy 2014\u0026ndash;2023. 2013. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2015.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTuassha N, Deyno FS. Prevalence of herbal and traditional medicine in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta\u0026ndash;analysis of 20\u0026ndash;year studies. Syst Reviews. 2022;12:232.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGurmu AE. B.E.B., Zemene Demelash Kifle, Fitsum Sebsibe Teni, \u003cem\u003ePerceptions, practices, and predictors of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicines among health professionals in Gondar town, northwestern Ethiopia.\u003c/em\u003e Available at SSRN: \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://ssrn.com/abstract=4878729\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://ssrn.com/abstract=4878729\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e or \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttp://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4878729\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.2139/ssrn.4878729\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAkaj EA. Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Gains and Drawbacks with Special Reference to Oral Healthcare. Pharmacological Studies in Natural Oral Care; 2023.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eK., M.E., The Role of Medicinal Plants in Enhancing Patient Adherence to Treatment. Res Output J Public Health Med, 2025; 5:1.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMEMİŞOĞLU M. The Safety of Herbal Medicines (Phytovigilance) from Community Pharmacists\u0026rsquo; Perspective: A Cross-Sectional Study. Turkish J Pharm Sci. 2022;19:3.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAlemseghed Goitom FY, Tsegay M, Kifleyesus A, Siele SM, Eyasu H, Tesfamariam, Abdu N. Herbal Medicine (HM) among pharmacy professionals working in drug retail outlets in Asmara, Eritrea: knowledge, attitude and prevalence of use. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2022;22:218.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDessalegn Asmelashe Gelayee GBM, Atnafe SA, Birarra MK, Asrie AB. Herbal Medicines: Personal Use, Knowledge, Attitude, Dispensing Practice, and the Barriers among Community Pharmacists in Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine; 2017. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003edoi.org/10.1155/2017/6480142(1)\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1155/2017/6480142(1)\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eArtemisa R, Dores MP, Castro M, S\u0026aacute; C, Carvalho IP. Andreia Martins, Eva Maia, Isabel Pra\u0026ccedil;a andAnt\u0026oacute;nio Marques, \u003cem\u003eKnowledge and Beliefs about Herb/Supplement Consumption and Herb/Supplement\u0026ndash;Drug Interactions among the General Population, including Healthcare Professionals and Pharmacists: A Systematic Review and Guidelines for a Smart Decision System\u003c/em\u003e. Nutrients. 2023;15:10.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAshlyn Carr CS. Pharmacists\u0026rsquo; Knowledge, Perceptions, and Practices Regarding Herbal Medicine. Innovations Pharm. 2019;10:3.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSahar A, FAHMY SA, Mohammed ABUELKHAIR. Pharmacists\u0026rsquo; attitude, perceptions and knowledge towards the use of herbal products in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Pharm Pract. 2010;8:8.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKemper KJ. Knowledge and Attitudes of Lay Public, Pharmacists, and Physicians Toward the Use of Herbal Products in North Jordan. J Altern Complement Medicine: Paradigm Pract Policy Adv Integr Health. 2008;14:10.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLesley A, Braun MMC. Australian Hospital Pharmacists\u0026rsquo; Attitudes, Perceptions, Knowledge and Practices of CAMs. J Pharm Pract Res. 2007;37:3.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMaher R, Khdour MK, Hussein O, Hallak AS, Jarab M, Dweib, Qusai N, Al-Shahed. Pharmacists\u0026rsquo; Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Towards Herbal Remedies In West Bank, Palestine. Int Archives Med. 2016;3:103.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAkunna GG, Saalu LCA. Rooted in Tradition, Thriving in the Present: The Future and Sustainability of Herbal Medicine in Nigeria\u0026rsquo;s Healthcare Landscape. J innovations Med Res. 2023;2:11.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAlemayehu M, Wollie KU, Rice K, Islam MS. Challenges and opportunities for integrating traditional healing approaches with biomedical care for mental illness: A scoping review from healers\u0026rsquo; perspectives. PLoS ONE. 2025;20:6.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Pharmacists, Perception, Traditional medicine","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8620588/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8620588/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eIntroduction:\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTraditional medicine (TM) is widely used in developing countries due to its accessibility, cultural relevance, perceived efficacy, and safety. Pharmacists, as frontline healthcare professionals, are expected to provide any drug-related information to the patient, including herbal medicine. However, inadequate training on TM on top of the lack of regulation of TM practices poses challenges to their effective involvement. This study aimed to assess the perception and practice of pharmacists working in Jimma University Medical Center (JUMC).\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethodology:\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA cross-sectional study was conducted among pharmacists working at JUMC. Data was collected using a self-administered Google Form questionnaire. The collected data was exported into Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) 23.0. Descriptive analysis and chi square tests were performed to analyze the data. Results were considered significant when p\u0026thinsp;\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;0.05.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResult\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eOut of the 73 pharmacists working in JUMC, 63 responded to the questionnaire. Most of the respondents were male, under 30 years of age and held B. Pharm degree. Most participants (87.5%) reported not having received any formal training related to TM. However, nearly three quarters of the respondents had used TM and 96.8% believed TM has beneficial effects. Overall, 90.8% of respondents\u0026rsquo; families used TM, and family use was significantly associated with religion (Fisher-Freeman-Halton exact test, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.028. On the other hand, most of the respondents supported the integration of TM and modern medicine, while lack of evidence-based research was identified as the main barrier to integration.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusion\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003ePharmacists working at JUMC demonstrated a high prevalence of TM use and a generally positive perception toward its integration into modern healthcare. However, inadequate professional training and the lack of evidence-based research remain major barriers. Strengthening education, capacity building, and research on TM is essential to enable pharmacists to play an effective role in its safe and rational integration into modern medical practice.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Perception and Practice of Traditional Medicine among Pharmacy Professionals in Jimma University Medical Center, Southwestern Ethiopia","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-01-29 12:13:23","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8620588/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"275b5405-4b6e-481f-ab46-daabdbeceeb8","owner":[],"postedDate":"January 29th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-02-27T20:54:07+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-01-29 12:13:23","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8620588","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8620588","identity":"rs-8620588","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}